The war has begun. The state has made the initial advance, from which they have been barred by the Maoist-backed Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) for last eight months.

The war has begun. The state has made the initial advance, from which they have been barred by the Maoist-backed Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) for last eight months.

What next? How would the locals, backed by the Maoists, react to this advance against their will? The Maoists say there will be guerilla attacks.

Kishanji, the No. 2 in the CPI(Maoist) hierarchy, made it clear while talking to HT over phone that they are not beat a retreat in the Lalgarh battle.

“Entering a few km does not mean the victory of a war. It’s a protracted people’s war. There are different policies and methods. Let them enter more, people will show them how they welcome the troop,” Kishanji said.

He said the party is in no hurry since it knows that it’s going to be a long battle.

He also reminded the way Russians had encircled the German aggressors. “The Germans made more advances in Russia than the state and central government made in Lalgarh. Let everybody be patient and see how the people of Lalgarh fight this battle. The state was supposed to pay heed to the locals’ grievances and solve them but they chose the way of policing. They will have to pay for acting against the peoples’ decision,” he said.

He also alleged that immediately after entering Lalgarh, the cops have gone back to oppression mood.

“Villagers are being tortured. They would not tolerate it for long,” he asserted.

The Maoist leader, experienced with many such battles fought in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Bihar, Orisa and Jharkhand, said: “By defying public mandate, they have initiated the war. Now no one should blame us for bloodshed.